MYTH BUSTER

"THE GOLF GTI WAS THE OG HOT HATCH"

- PAUL HORRELL

MUCH AS I LIKE GERMAN CARS, OTHER nationalities do exist. German carmakers have a habit of pretending they invented everything. Back when it launched the M-Class, Mercedes called it the first luxury off-roader. Range Rover? Jeep Wagoneer? Both of them instantly erased from history. Audi laughably said the A5 Sportback was the first of its kind. The Mondeo Ghia wasn't all that premium but it was a good car and it sat among a field of about two dozen other five-door fastbacks the same size. BMW called the X6 the first coupe-SUV. Which ignored the 2005 SsangYong Actyon, which might have been a crapbox but was also AFAIK the first. VW doesn't have to bang on about the Golf GTI being the first hot hatch.